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D. G. Olson, Research and Development, Mitec Inc., 101 2nd St. SE, Suite 600, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401 and C. BARMORE, Cryovac North America, Cryovac Sealed Air Corp., 100 Rogers Bridge Road, Bldg. A, Duncan, SC 29334. Ground beef products in the form of frozen ground beef patties and fresh ground beef chubs, loaves, and patties have been irradiated in the U. S. since May 2000. Two important hurdles to the practice have been: 1) the limited number of packaging materials approved for food irradiation and 2) the sensory changes associated with the irradiation of high oxygen content modified atmosphere packaged case-ready meats. The high oxygen modified atmosphere package has been the preferred case-ready package format. The high oxygen, 70% to 80%, and carbon dioxide, 20% to 30%, gas mixture extends the shelf life of the product by reducing the rate of oxymyoglobin oxidation and by inhibiting the growth of the spoilage bacteria, respectively. The presence of oxygen during the irradiation process results in the production of ozone which severely oxidizes the cherry-red color, oxymyoglobin, of ground beef to a brown, metmyoglobin, color which is undesirable to consumers. An innovative process will be described that provides for the irradiation of ground beef in the absence of oxygen and then follow with a finish packaging in a high oxygen-modified atmosphere that results in extended shelf life with suppressed growth of the spoilage bacterial and extended favorable sensory attributes.
Session 39, Advances in packaging technology required for implementation on novel food processes
2005 IFT Annual Meeting, July 15-20 - New Orleans, Louisiana |